Melting Polar Ice Caps

Participating in this iceberg activity, I have to honestly say is the first time I have thought much about global warming as I tend to be the kind of person who thinks everything will work itself out, no worries. However, I was alarmed when reading about the disappearing glaciers and polar ice caps. Reading through the articles and watching the NOW video, it is amazing to me the disastrous effects this will potentially have for life on earth and how soon the disappearance of the glaciers and ice caps are predicted to happen.

The disappearance of the glaciers and polar ice caps are happening because of global warming but their gradual disappearance is also helping to make the earth warmer as well. The ice reflects the sun’s energy but by melting and turning to water, which absorbs the sun’s energy, earth will continue to heat up. The melting polar ice caps will spell disaster for many animal species, most notably the polar bears and penguins which make these areas home. The polar ice caps are a frozen reserve of fresh water and as they melt they will raise water levels significantly which will cause widespread flooding but will also cause problems for the oceans’ currents. For example, the Gulf Stream which is responsible for the mild climate enjoyed in northern Europe will potentially become blocked with the added fresh water and lead to a significant cooling of Europe. As the earth continues to heat up more and more disastrous weather phenomena are expected, such as stronger hurricanes and typhoons which will certainly lead to loss of life and property in areas affected.

I also found it interesting that a local issue affecting my state is possibly occurring, not necessarily because of the melting polar ice caps, but because of global warming as a whole. The state of Colorado is battling a huge pine beetle epidemic which is killing off huge portions of evergreen forests in the mountains because of the warmer winters that are not destroying the bugs.

STEM Lesson Reflection

I have never used the Five E’s Lesson Format until now. Reflecting on the lesson, I believe that using the Five E’s format was helpful in creating a meaningful learning experience for students and can see the benefit of using it for creating a unit of study, as that is what my lesson ended up being. However, completing this instructional lesson was extremely time consuming, as it took approximately 12 hours to finish. I don’t know if I was thinking about it too much or if I misunderstood what was expected for this assignment. I felt that the instructional plan was a bit redundant while filling out the different sections of the template and cannot see how it would be feasible to do for every lesson taught.

The Five E’s really helped me make sure that my plan addresses the needs of my students and challenges them and keeps them engaged through the whole lesson. I am excited to use my learning experience with students when I return to the classroom. However, until I have a classroom, it is difficult to imagine what modifications will need to be made to address the unique diversity of my students. As a teacher, flexibility is vital and even the best planned lessons will have to be modified, often at the spur of the moment.

Any feedback with how to more efficiently use the instructional plan template is welcome! Thanks!